


The Love Bomb

by Iamafanoftoomanythingstoname



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: F/M, Gen, Heartbreak, Hurt Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Hurt/Comfort, James T. Kirk & Leonard "Bones" McCoy Friendship, Original Character(s), Romance, inspired by "day of the dove"
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:15:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29929854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iamafanoftoomanythingstoname/pseuds/Iamafanoftoomanythingstoname
Summary: Based on the creature from "Day of the Dove," another creature invades the Enterprise, this time shapeshifting into human form and targeting one person specifically: Dr. Leonard McCoy. Rather than feeding on anger, this creature feeds on emotional pain. Will she succeed in winning and then breaking the good doctor's heart? (cross-posted from fanfiction.net)
Relationships: James T. Kirk & Leonard "Bones" McCoy, James T. Kirk & Leonard "Bones" McCoy & Spock, Leonard "Bones" McCoy/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	1. Target Sighted

She was hungry. So very hungry after wandering for so long. She had been so distracted by exploring that she hasn't eaten much in a while– just a little here and there. There was a ship nearby– she could sense there were hundreds of life forms aboard. She would have to assume a shape to match them. Humans, mostly. She searched for her target. It was important to focus on just one to get the sustenance she needed. She quickly ruled the Vulcan out; while Vulcans did actually have emotion, they hid it well. She needed someone who felt deeply and showed it.

So many humans... at least she could narrow it down to the men. The captain? Possibly. A position like his was often a lonely one. Another man, one in a blue shirt, was coming to talk to the captain. The two seemed to be friends; the captain called him "Bones." A nickname. He had expressive blue eyes, and he was upset about something. The Vulcan joined in the conversation– an argument.

"We can't just give up and leave them down there!"

"Dr. McCoy, they may have already perished, and to send a rescue party would only put more lives at risk," the Vulcan replied.

"There has to be something we can do!"

"Are you basing that statement on fact or emotion?"

McCoy berated the Vulcan for being unfeeling. So, he was a doctor who really cared about people's lives and embraced emotion. This could be the one she was looking for.

She found out more about this "Dr. McCoy" later. He was divorced... that could have caused some insecurity. When passing by him, she could sense that he also carried a deep pain inside related to– something else, though she couldn't tell what. This was definitely who she would target. She would get him to fall in love with her, and just when he felt most secure, she would rip out his heart.

There was a large group of crewmembers in rec room 3, playing various games and talking. McCoy and Scotty were having a drink.

"Doctor, I think someone has eyes for ya," Scotty pointed out. McCoy turned his head, and sure enough, a pretty lieutenant in a red uniform was looking dreamily in his direction. She looked to be near his age, and her blonde hair was pulled into a neat bun.

"Excuse me, Scotty," McCoy said as he got up to talk to her. The engineer silently wished him luck as he downed the rest of his drink.

"I don't believe we've met. Leonard McCoy, senior medical officer," he introduced himself with a smile.

"Lieutenant Anita Grace." She shook his hand.

"That's a lovely name. Which department are you in?"

"Engineering."

"Ah, so you must be familiar with Mr. Scott, then."

She nodded. "I'd like to be more familiar with you."

McCoy's smile grew. "Well, I hope I won't see you in my sickbay, but I'd like to go on a date with you. What do you say?"

"Oh, yes," Anita said eagerly.

"Alright, can you meet me for dinner tomorrow?"

"Sure. See you then, Doctor." She gave McCoy a flirty wave and left. He returned to duty in high spirits.

The next day, McCoy was able to focus, but in the back of his mind, he was excited. Nurse Chapel picked up on his happy mood.

"What's got you so happy, Leonard? If I didn't know better, I'd say you're in love," she teased.

"No, certainly not yet. I've just got a date tonight."

"Oh," Chapel said, surprised. "Good luck!"

"Thanks, Christine," McCoy said warmly.

When McCoy and Lt. Grace met for dinner, they secured a table for themselves and ordered their food from the replicator. She looked at it ruefully; she could eat human food, but it would do nothing to satisfy her hunger.

"I know. I wish I could take you out to a real nice restaurant. This replicated stuff just isn't the same," McCoy said. They were both quiet for a couple minutes as they ate.

"So, Lieutenant Grace–" McCoy began.

"Anita," she corrected with a sweet smile.

"Anita. Where are you from?"

She quickly thought up an answer. "Earth, California."

"Oh, really? I'm from Georgia. Lived there until I joined Starfleet."

"What made you want to join?" Anita asked, and pretended to enjoy a sip of her drink.

"I, uh, wanted to get away. As far as possible," McCoy said, and it was clear he didn't like thinking about what made him want to leave Earth. He probably wouldn't tell her about it, at least not yet, but she decided to ask anyway.

"Get away from what?"

He finished chewing, and his eyebrows rose. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Oh, sorry," she apologized, putting a hand over her mouth. "That's too personal, isn't it?"

"It's alright." He brushed it off. "Why did you join Starfleet?"

"Well, I love engineering, and I dreamed for a long time of working on a starship."

"Hmm. If you would've told me years ago that I would enjoy being out here at all, I would've said you were outta your mind. But I've made a few good friends, and working here gives me a chance to expand my medical knowledge more than I could back home, and make contributions of my own."

"That's great. I bet you've developed so many cures and saved a lot of lives," Anita said, gazing into his eyes.

McCoy swallowed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well now, I do my best to honor my oath, is all."

"You do more than that! I've heard you've risked your own life several times to save others. You're like a hero. "The doctor blushed a little, feeling oddly uncomfortable and flattered at the same time.

"That's enough about me. Tell me more about yourself."

"I'm not that interesting," she deflected after forcing herself to eat a few more bites.

"That can't be true."

"Okay. Besides loving my job, I'm a hopeless romantic; I even write poetry, and I love to read."

"Is that so? I'm not all that into poetry myself, but I'd read one of yours, if you'd be comfortable with that."

"Sure. I might even write one just for you."

McCoy smiled. "I take it you'd like to go on another date?"

"Yes, very much." Just then, the red alert sounded.

"I'd better get back to sickbay," he said as they both jumped up.

"I'll just get rid of these," she said, referring to the food trays.

"Thanks. Will you meet me in rec room 4 Thursday evening?"

"I will." Anita kissed his cheek, and he left, feeling optimistic.


	2. Falling

In the weeks that followed, McCoy and Anita spent more and more time together when they could. Not only that, but she often sent him little gifts, notes, and poems. They made him feel good, but at a certain point it started to seem like overkill. He met with her in his quarters to talk about it.

"You don't like it?" she asked with a frown.

"I do, it's just a little much. You don't need to give me all this stuff to let me know that you love me."

"Oh. My last boyfriend was never happy unless I did," Anita said, biting her lip. McCoy lifted an eyebrow.

"Then he never really loved you– he just wanted things from you."

"Unlike you." She wrapped her arms around his neck, but he took a step back. "What is it? You don't love me too? You'd better not be playing with my heart, Leonard," she pleaded, smiling inwardly at the irony of her statement.

"It's not like that. I just need more time," he said, gripping her hand. "I do like you a lot, and you are very beautiful, but I don't want to get ahead of myself and say things I don't mean yet." McCoy didn't say it out loud, but he also needed to make sure that what she felt wasn't simply an infatuation that would go away.

"I just know we're meant to be! What are you afraid of?" His breath caught at the love in her eyes, and his heart beat faster. What was he afraid of? He couldn't remember at the moment.

"You've felt ignored in favor of the captain, haven't you?" she continued. "Women always notice him and completely miss the wonderful treasure that you are. Not me." McCoy's ears reddened as Anita's fingertips trailed down the side of his face. He pulled her closer and kissed her tenderly. The feeling was electric; it left his head spinning.

"You are so handsome. I can't believe women aren't knocking down your door," Anita said. McCoy's smile widened and he bounced lightly on his toes.

"Thank you, though I suppose it's just as well. That's more attention than I would prefer." Anita kissed him again, then glanced at the door.

"Goodnight, Leonard."

"Goodnight, Anita." Giving him a wink, she walked out, and he flopped down on his bed, feeling intoxicated.

More time went by, and Anita continued to spend time with McCoy and make him feel loved. She wanted to listen when he was sad, and he found that he was comfortable enough to share his feelings with her. One unfortunate away mission landed the captain in sickbay with critical injuries. They almost lost him at one point, but McCoy and his medical team were finally able to stabilize him after several hours of surgery. When Kirk woke up, McCoy scolded him in his usual fashion for being so reckless, and told him he was not to get out of bed under any circumstances until he was well enough.

"And that's to be determined by me, not you," McCoy warned.

"Alright, Bones, I hear you," Kirk said tiredly.

"Sometimes I wonder," the doctor grumbled, checking the man's vitals once more before walking away.

Once he was alone, he sat down and rubbed his hands over his face. _'Jim's going to be okay,'_ he thought, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths. He lifted his head and turned around when he heard Anita's voice.

"What's the matter, Leonard?"

Giving her a half-hearted grin, he said, "Nothing. The captain's alright; he'll be back on his feet soon enough." Anita sat next to him and touched his shoulder.

"You're still upset. You can talk to me about it." McCoy almost told her to forget it, but this is something he's probably needed to talk about for a long time, and she was offering to listen. She managed to contain her excitement, keeping on her mask of concern.

"It just never gets any easier. Jim's made it before, and he made it this time, but what about next time? Anything could happen out here, and it's frankly a miracle that he's alive. We all thought he was dead last year in that fiasco with the Tholians, and we still managed to get him back. His luck's bound to run out sometime. I've seen men vaporized instantly, gone just like that out of nowhere. I think that's the worst of all the death I've seen, at least for the ones left behind that cared. There's no coming back from being vaporized. What if it's Jim next time? Or Spock?" His brow creased. "I'm trying to get them through this five year mission alive, even if it kills me in the process. But there's still only so much I can do." Anita leaned on him, absorbing his sadness.

"They are very important to you?" she asked.

"Yeah, pains in the neck that they are." She took a mental note of that. If Kirk and Spock meant so much to McCoy, then whatever they did or happened to them would affect him. "Back on Earth, you might be afraid once in a while that someone you love will get in some freak accident. You know it's not out of the realm of possibility. Out here, though... out here the likelihood of that happening goes up significantly, and you have to avoid thinking about it too much to keep yourself sane." Anita closed her eyes as she savored the worry swirling within him.

"I understand," she said. Oblivious, he held her close.

"You'll be careful, won't you?"

"I'll try." At least that much was true. She couldn't risk getting hurt and having her real identity exposed. Resting her head against his chest, she knew it wouldn't be long before he professed his love for her, just like the others had, leaving him truly vulnerable.

* * *

While Kirk was recovering in bed, he was able to catch up with McCoy as he has rarely seen him during off duty hours anymore.

"How's your relationship with Lt. Grace, Bones?"

"She's wonderful," McCoy said, his face lighting up. "She has everything I've ever wanted in a woman– beautiful, sweet, generous, affectionate, and she really listens to me. Do you know we haven't had a single fight yet?"

Kirk frowned slightly. "Doesn't that strike you as a little odd?"

"I'd say it's a good thing," McCoy countered.

"But no couple gets along all the time."

"So, I'll enjoy it while I can."

Kirk shifted a little and winced. "I think you should be careful, Bones. She might just want something from you."

"Like what? I'm not worried about it, Jim. I trust her, and I think she might actually be the one." Kirk was glad that Bones was so happy, but what he said sounded a little too good to be true.

"I can't wait to get out of here," Kirk said, changing the subject.

"And here I thought we were friends," McCoy quipped. "Just get some more rest. It'll do wonders for you." Kirk felt his eyelids growing heavy. He hoped the doc would give his advice some thought.


	3. Entrapped

A few days later, McCoy sent Anita a rose with a note attached to it that read:

_Dear Anita,_

_We may have only been seeing each other for a little over a month, but I feel there's something very special between us. Please meet me on the holodeck tonight at 8._

_Yours,_

_Leonard_

Anita studied the rose and thought of the unsuspecting man who sent it. He was going to feel her thorns very soon, and her hard work would begin to pay off.

* * *

"Anita! You're early," McCoy said when they met up that evening.

"Thanks for the rose, Len," she said, kissing his cheek.

"You're welcome, darlin'. Where would you like to go?"

"How about a nice walk through the park at night with clear skies so you can see the stars."

"You've been thinking about this, haven't you? Sounds good to me," McCoy said, starting up the simulation. They stepped in and walked through the grass, hands clasped together.

"How was your day?" McCoy asked.

"Not bad. Busy. What about you?" Anita squeezed his hand.

"Decent enough. Quieter without Jim in sickbay giving me a hard time." He took a minute to think about what he really wanted to say to Anita. He swallowed his nervousness, feeling encouraged by her smile. "Anita, I've very much enjoyed spending all this time with you, and I'd like to continue, but I need to know how serious you are about this relationship. I'm looking for something that will last."

"Didn't I say we were meant for each other?" she asked, leaning closer to him.

"Do you love me?"

"What do you think?" she bounced back playfully. McCoy shook his head and guided her over to a bench to sit.

"I'm serious. Do you truly love me and want to be a part of my life? That's how I'm starting to feel about you."

"I do, Leonard," Anita said, threading her fingers through his soft brown hair. He glanced away briefly.

"You know I've been divorced. I can't say I didn't make any of my own mistakes, because I did, but she didn't want to work it out. I found out it was partly because she'd been cheating on me with another man. She took everything, including our daughter. That's why I came out here." As he spoke, Anita could sense that it was a deep wound that had scarred over, and the insecurity it caused still remained. Unfortunately for him, he may never be able to bring himself to trust again after she was finished with him.

"I'm sorry that happened to you. There's no one else for me, but I can't be with you if you're not going to trust me because of what your ex-wife did." McCoy took Anita's hands in his and locked eyes with her.

"You haven't given me a reason not to trust you, and I know there's certain things neither of us can promise since we can't see the future. I just needed to know if you're as serious about this relationship as I am." She nodded, and as she captured his lips with her own, he released her hands and wrapped his arms around her. He groaned, deepening the kiss. Once Anita pulled away, she read in McCoy's soft blue eyes that his love was growing. She had him, alright.

* * *

If there was one thing Anita knew, it was that she could hurt a man all she wanted, and he wouldn't leave as long as he believed that everything going wrong was his fault. She picked a particularly hectic day to try it on McCoy for the first time, storming into his office late that evening as he was filing reports. He regarded her with a quirked eyebrow, having no idea what he could have possibly done to make her angry.

"What is it, Anita?"

"You know exactly what it is," she said, crossing her arms.

"No, I don't," McCoy said slowly.

"You said that you were going to meet me for dinner tonight. You stood me up!" she accused him with a huff.

"I don't remember saying that," he said, frowning.

"Are you saying I'm lying?" The doctor stood up when she moved closer.

"No, I'm just saying that I don't remember. It's been chaos today; I've been extremely busy. You know that; you must have been very busy too."

"That's the oldest excuse in the book! I wasn't too busy for you." Anita's tone put McCoy on the defensive, and his temper flared.

"Now listen, I'm CMO of this ship. My responsibilities–"

"I know what you are. Don't you tell me to listen!" Anita shouted. "You're the one in the wrong here." McCoy closed his eyes for a moment and rubbed his temples. The headache that started a half hour ago was getting worse.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to forget. How about we try it tomorrow?"

"Forget it. I bet your ex-wife's heard that one before," she said irritably. Stung, McCoy reached out and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Anita..." The last thing he wanted was to make her feel neglected. She shrugged off his hand and left without another word. McCoy sat back down, now finding it more difficult to concentrate.

* * *

Later that week, McCoy and Uhura were having a casual conversation in rec room 2. Uhura was laughing at something the doctor said when Anita came up behind him and tapped his shoulder.

"Leonard, would you mind?"

"Excuse me, Uhura," he said as Anita pulled him aside.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

"We're just talking," McCoy said, confused.

"I saw the way you smiled at her!"

"We're friends, that's all. I've only got eyes for you," he assured. She continued to eye him skeptically.

"And what do you need female friends for? I'm not stupid, Leonard."

"There's nothing going on; there's no reason to be jealous."

"But you're spending time with her, and not me?" Hurt that she didn't believe him, and wanting to put her fears to rest, he placed a hand soothingly on her arm.

"Darlin'–"

"Don't touch me!" she hissed, slapping him across the face. He stared at her retreating back, dumbfounded. A few crewmembers who had seen but not heard the interaction snickered. Sulu came up beside the doctor.

"What did you do?" he asked in an amused tone.

"I don't know," McCoy said, dispirited. Uhura, unhappy to see the way he had been treated, sent him an apologetic look. He gave her a faint smile and left, hoping to find his way back to Anita's good side.

**A/N: While we didn't see the holodeck in the original series, it was used in the animated series as well as the webseries Star Trek Continues. As for how people reacted when McCoy got slapped, I based it off of a social experiment I saw where a girl was hitting her "boyfriend" and some people laughed. That bothered me because no one would be laughing if it was the other way around, nor would anyone say that she must have did something to deserve it.**


End file.
